Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali (17 January 1942-3 June 2016), born Cassius Marcellus Clay, was an American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist from Louisville, Kentucky. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics as "Cassius Clay", but he changed his name to "Muhammad Ali" after converting to the Nation of Islam a year later (he later converted to Sunni Islam and suppported racial integration). Ali became the world heavyweight champion in 1964, and he antagonized the white establishment by calling "Cassius Clay" his "slave name", by refusing to be drafted into the military in 1966 during the Vietnam War, and for his trash-talking. He retired in 1981 at the age of 39, and he focused on religion and charity. In 1984, he endorsed incumbent Republican president Ronald Reagan for "keeping God in schools" (despite having served as a diplomat under Democrat Jimmy Carter); that same year, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and he died in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2016.